"Papa!" Roland cried out the instant his father stepped into the hospital waiting room. Without hesitation, the small boy was running into Robin's waiting arms. Robin, visibly grateful for Roland's safe return, lifted him into a tight hug. As father and son reunited, Regina stood watching from a respectful distance. When Robin finally set Roland down again and crouched down to continue talking to the boy, his hands came to rest on Roland's shoulders. As a result, his tattoo was on full display, and Regina felt her stomach clench at the sight of it.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a sudden gasp behind her. Turning, she saw Tinkerbell standing behind her, staring at Robin.
"It's the lion tattoo!" she exclaimed, turning to Regina in excitement. "It's what was prophesized! He's your soul mate!"
"I know," Regina confirmed, keeping her voice down and gesturing for Tinkerbell to do the same. "I saw it yesterday."
"And you didn't tell me?" Tinkerbell cried incredulously.
"Well, right now, I have better things to do than gossip about boys," Regina hissed. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I don't think you need reminding that word travels fast in this town," Tinkerbell commented, stepping around Reina and making her way over to Emma, who was sitting on the other side of the room. "Emma! I heard what happened to Hook. Has there been any news?"
"No," Emma stated. "He's been in the ER for nearly an hour, but we still haven't heard anything."
"I wouldn't worry too much," Tinkerbell consoled. "I've known Hook for quite a while. You'd be surprised what he's lived through before this."
Emma responded with a forced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, but just as she was opening her mouth, Robin approached the group, carrying Roland in his arms.
"I cannot thank all of you enough," he stated.
"Oh, of course! We're glad Roland is back safe," Mary Margret replied. "And the nurses already gave him a clean bill of health, so it looks like Zelena didn't do anything to him."
"What do you plan to do now?" David asked. "Will you return to the Enchanted Forest, once Anton's bean field produces a new batch?"
"Well," Robin began, seemingly deep in thought. "I probably will have to go back, so the Merry Men will know we're alright. But…after that, I'm not quite certain."
"Are you saying you're thinking about staying here, permanently?" Henry asked. Robin hesitated before replying, but it almost looked as if he was casting a furtive glance at Regina.
"Perhaps living here would be nice," he finally announced.
Before anyone had a chance to respond to the fact that Robin was considering staying in Storybrooke, the sound of a throat being cleared alerted everyone to the fact that Dr. Whale had entered the room.
"Dr. Whale," Emma said, getting to her feet. "Is he….?"
"Well, it was touch and go for a while," Dr. Whale replied. "Hook lost quite a lot of blood, so we had to perform a few transfusions. But he's in stable condition, now. Unless something unforeseen happens, I'd say he'll make a full recovery. Although, it's probably best that he doesn't get any visitors yet. He needs time to regain his strength."
"So, Hook's going to be okay?" Henry asked hopefully.
"That's great!" Grace added. "I wanted the chance to thank him for saving our lives."
"Speaking of which," Jefferson prompted, casting a stern look at the two children. Instantly, their relieved smiles vanished, realizing what was coming.
"We're grounded, huh?" Henry guessed.
"Yes, I should think so," Regina confirmed, folding her arms. "Running off like that without telling anyone? And with my sister and her monkeys roaming around? You could have been killed."
"So…how long are we grounded for?" Grace asked, clearly remorseful. For a few moments, Emma, Regina, Jefferson and Neal all seemed to contemplate the question.
"Well," Emma finally replied. "Do you think we could all agree on a week?"
"Really?" Henry exclaimed, surprised at the leniency of their sentence.
"Regina is right," Emma commented, suppressing a smile. "What you did was dangerous and extremely reckless. But, it was also very brave, and you did manage to successfully free Roland. So, I say one week would suffice."
"Same," Neal agreed.
"I suppose I can live with that, too," Regina said. "After all, your actions did help get Roland back."
"Do I get a week, too?" Grace asked, turning to Jefferson.
"If it were up to me, I'd say yes," Jefferson stated, getting to his feet. "Unfortunately, you have another set of parents now. They might not feel the same way as I do. And on that note, I told them I'd drop you off right after we got word on Hook's condition."
After saying goodbye to Henry, Grace left the room with Jefferson. As they neared the entrance to the hospital, however, Jefferson stopped in his tracks when he spotted Belle coming around the corner, his eyes growing wide.
"Oh! Jefferson!" Belle gaped upon seeing him. For a split second, they simply looked at each other, but then Belle glanced away in clear embarrassment. Feeling just as nervous, Jefferson cleared his throat.
"I'll…just wait by the car," Grace announced, recognizing her cue to leave the pair alone. But even after Grace had stepped away, Jefferson and Belle stood in an awkward silence, until….
"I'm glad Grace is okay."
"Sorry for not showing up this morning."
Upon realizing that they'd both spoken at the same time, the pair started to chuckle uneasily. Finally, Belle broke the silence.
"Listen, I'm sorry about last night," Belle said. "I don't know what came over me."
"Are you…. Do you mean…you regret what happened?" Jefferson asked, surprised over how hurt he felt at the very thought of that.
"I…." Belle trailed off, unsure of what to say at first. "Only if…it made things…uncomfortable. Jefferson, I don't know what this is, but…I don't want to lose it. So, if I crossed the line last night, I'm sorry."
"For what it's worth," Jefferson replied, "if you crossed a line, then I did, too. I did, after all, reciprocate. Whatever this is, Belle….I don't think it's one sided."
"Really?" Belle whispered, visibly taken aback by that. "So….what does that mean?"
"Well….." Jefferson began, trying to choose his words carefully. "Grace is going to be at her cursed parents' house tomorrow night. So…if you want….you could…stop by? For dinner?"
"You're…asking me to have dinner with you?" Belle asked, feeling a smile start to form in the corners of her mouth.
"I guess I am," Jefferson admitted, seemingly surprised at himself. For a moment, Belle seemed to be contemplating the offer, but the smile remained on her face.
"Well then," she finally said. "I guess I'm going to say yes."
"Okay," Jefferson said, unable to stop himself from mirroring her smile. "So…tomorrow night, around 6?"
"I'll be there," Belle promised. For a few seconds, the pair simply stood smiling at each other, but the moment they realized this, thy both began to feel self-conscious. .
"Right," Jefferson nodded, shifting nervously in place. "Then I…I'll see you then."
"Yeah, see you then," Belle agreed, forcing herself to back away while realizing she was now biting her lip. Trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the moment, Jefferson took his chance to turn around and make his way to his car, where Grace was waiting patiently. But he couldn't fight back the giant smile that had affixed itself to his face.
In the middle of the woods, the flying monkey that Regina turned to stone remained undisturbed, apart from a small bird that chose to temporarily roost there. The bird was scared off, however, when the monkey returned to flesh and blood, letting out a loud cry.
"So, it appears I was right," Zelnena commented, stepping into view. "They have managed to help the child escape." Upon hearing Zelena's voice, the monkey instantly cowered before her, seemingly fearful of her response. "Oh, don't worry; I'm not angry. No, I confess I'm actually quite impressed with their fortitude. And this is only a tiny bump in the road. So, I say, let them have today, thinking they've won. It'll be my gift to them, considering that, after tomorrow, most of them won't even exist."
The general mood of the breakfast crowd at Granny's the following morning was quite positive, especially at one particular table, where Emma, David, Mary Margret, Regina and Henry were sitting with Robin and Roland. Granny had been doting on the young boy, bringing him hot oatmeal, stacks of pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, sausage links, buttered toast, and tall glasses of chocolate milk, all while waving away any offers of money for the food.
"It's all on the house," she insisted after the fifth time Robin tried to pay her. "He's been through quite the ordeal these past few days, and who knows how often that witch provided him with food?"
"I didn't starve the boy, if that's what you're implying." Immediately, the whole diner fell silent, and Robin, Regina, Emma and David all rose to their feet in the blink of an eye. Sure enough, Zelena stood in doorway, a wide smile on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Regina demanded, stepping forward to confront Zelena.
"I'm surprised you asked," Zelena replied. "Given the children's little rescue attempt, and how you managed to stop the Dark One's son the other night, I would have thought you figured it out."
"What, that you were plotting to go back in time and change the past? Yes, we managed to figure that much out. But that doesn't explain why you're here now, unless you're here to surrender."
"Now, why would I do that?" Zelena asked, the smile not leaving her face.
"Because your plan failed. Rumpelstiltskin wasn't resurrected, so you can't get your hands on him, and Roland is here. You've lost your ingredients."
"Oh, have I?" Zelena stated with a confident air. "Unlike you, Regina, I don't underestimate the importance of a contingency plan."
Before Regina could clarify what she meant, the sound of Roland crying out in fear and alarm caught everyone's attention. Turning towards the hallway leading to the back door of the diner, where Mary Margret had been trying to covertly steer Henry and Roland towards, they saw a flying monkey had appeared and snatched Roland out of Mary Margret's grasp. Before anyone could react, Zelena waved a hand, freezing everyone's feet to the ground.
"The choice is yours, thief," Zelena announced. "You can either hand over Regina's heart, which I know she entrusted to you, or you can do nothing and forsake your son."
"I know a bluff when I hear one," Robin replied, trying to remain confident in spite of the fear washing over him. "You wouldn't hurt him. I know you need him for that spell of yours."
"What I needed was someone to represent the element of innocence," Zelena pointed out. "I figured the boy was the best option. But I since found out there's an even better option available." With that, Zelena pulled out what looked like a glass ball from beneath her cloak and stroked her hand across the surface. Instantly, Mary Marget let out a sudden gasp of alarm, and a spectral blue light emerged from her, flowing right into the glass ball Zelena was holding.
"What did you do!?" David yelled, staring between Mary Margret and Zelena, fearful for his wife's wellbeing.
"Oh, nothing much," Zelena said with a shrug. "I just took the soul of your unborn child. Admittedly, it probably would have been more practical to wait until your little brat was born, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. And I couldn't let you get away with your feeble attempts at foiling me." Upon hearing this, David and Mary Margret shared a look of panic.
"So you see," Zelena continued, now looking back at Robin. "I really have no use for your son, after all. Still think I'm bluffing?" As if to back up Zelena's threat, the flying monkey tightened his grip on Roland's shoulders, piercing the skin with his claws and forcing the boy to cry out in pain.
"No!" Robin cried, fear and alarm filling his face.
"Robin, give her my heart!" Regina exclaimed. "It's okay. Just…let her take it. Nothing's worth the loss of a child." After a beat, Robin reached into his saddlebag and removed the pouch that contained Regina's heart. Shooting Zelena a look of ire, Robin tossed it over.
"Thank you," Zelena said with a gloating smirk, securing the pouch to her wrist before glancing over at the flying monkey. "You know what to do, next." The monkey responded with a terrible screech and released Roland. As the monkey sprinted out of the diner and took flight, Zelena recanted the spell that was restraining everyone.
"Just give it up, Zelena," Regina ordered. "You still don't have Rumpelstiltskin, so you're stuck."
"I thought I'd explained it to you," Zelena stated, rolling her eyes. "I have a backup in mind. Rumpelstiltskin wasn't the only mad genius whose brain would suffice."
"What does that mean?" Emma asked, starting to step forward, only to be magically shoved back by Zelena.
"Sorry, but I have more important things to do than explain things to you. I have a spell to cast."
"Not so fast," Regina demanded, launching a wave of magic towards Zelena. However, Zelena countered her effortlessly, the magic colliding in midair. The moment the magical blasts connected, Regina was also blown backwards.
"You really think you have what it takes to defeat me?" Zelena scoffed. "Rumpelstiltskin may have taught us both, but I was the better student." With that, Zelena vanished in a pillar of green smoke. The moment Zelena was gone, Mary Margret fell to her knees, clutching her stomach while David knelt next to her, concern evident on her face.
"Our baby!" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks. "She took our baby's soul!"
"It'll be okay," Regina reassured, stepping forward. "Try not to panic." Moving carefully, Regina placed her hands on Mary Margret's stomach, and a reddish golden light appeared.
"What are you doing?"
"A preservation spell," Regina explained.
"You mean, like the one you placed on Henry when Pan tricked him into giving up his heart?" Emma asked.
"Exactly. It'll keep the baby safe for a while, until we can get its soul back from Zelena."
At that moment, a small distraction appeared as the door reopened and Belle and Neal hurried in.
"What happened?" Neal exclaimed. "We saw the flying monkey flying off. Was anyone hurt?"
"Zelena managed to take Regina's heart," Emma explained. "And she stole the baby's soul."
"What?!"
"And now she's going to cast her time travel spell," Henry added.
"But…how is she supposed to do that?" Belle inquired. "We stopped Neal from resurrecting Rumple, so Zelena can't use him. How is she planning to cast her spell if she doesn't have all her ingredients?"
"She said she had a back-up plan," David explained. "She said that…Rumpelstiltskin wasn't the only mad genius whose brain would suffice."
"Another mad genius?" Neal repeated. "But, if she's not going to use my father's brain, then who…." Neal was cut off by Belle's horrified gasp. When everyone turned towards her, they saw her face had grown deathly pale.
"Oh, no," she whispered. Hurriedly, she reached for her phone, groaning in frustration when she realized she left it at her father's place. "There's much time! We have to warn him!"
Jefferson was holed up in the kitchen of his house, scouring through a mountain of cookbooks he'd pulled out. It was clear from the look on his face that he was internally stressed out.
"I knew you'd be in here," Grace said, walking into the kitchen.
"Grace!" Jefferson cried, looking up. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Mr. and Mrs.…"
"I talked them into dropping me off for a little bit, because I thought you'd want some help planning for your dinner with Belle. Did you pull out every cookbook in the house?"
"I just don't know what to make," Jefferson admitted.
"Well, there are a few restaurants in town," Grace pointed out. "Why not just take her to one?"
"I…." Jefferson was unable to formulate an answer to that question. The truth was, he knew the reason why. It was one thing to converse with Belle or the rest of the group in the quiet of the library. But it was an entirely different situation to be in a public setting like a crowded restaurant. He couldn't explain why the notion was unsettling. After spending 28 years in isolation, he should welcome the company. But then again, maybe he'd grown too used to the solitude.
Grace, realizing her father wasn't going to admit what was troubling him out loud, picked up one of the cookbooks and began flipping through it.
"How about that stew you always made for us back in the Enchanted Forest?" Grace suggested, looking over at Jefferson as he went back to scouring through the cookbook in front of him. "That always tasted wonderful."
"No, that's no good," Jefferson insisted, shaking his head without looking up. "What if the stew drips? Either one of us could end up with a large stew stain down our fronts. Hmm. Should we go with steaks? No, that's not good, either. It looks like I'm not even trying. Wait, Belle came from a privileged household, so she must have grown up eating fine dinners. Perhaps crepes would be…oh, now it looks like I'm trying too hard! Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should call Belle, and..."
"Papa, stop!" Grace cried, hopping out of her chair and hurrying over to grab onto Jefferson's arm as he reached for the phone. "Stop overthinking this! Belle's not a stranger. She's someone who has already spent time with us. And she even spent the night here. I think we're a little past the point where you have to try to impress her."
"It's…slightly different," Jefferson said. "Then, she was just a friend. Now, we're… I don't even know what we are."
"Okay, here," Grace announced with an air of authority, turning to the cookbook in front of her father and flipping through it. "Go with this one: sautéed mushrooms and sausage, served over hot cooked noodles. And strawberry crepes for dessert." For a brief moment, Jefferson looked over at the recipes Grace had picked out, but then he gave her a warm, grateful smile.
"What would I do without you, Grace?" he asked. "Alright, let's make a list of what we'll need, and then head out to the store. I can drop you off with your other parents on the way back."
Before either of them left the kitchen, the sound of breaking glass was heard from the upstairs bedroom.
"What was that?" Grace asked.
"I don't know," Jefferson replied. "Stay here, I'm going to…." Jefferson stopped in midsentence when he heard the heavy sound of something running across the hall and down the stairs at top speed. Jefferson only had time to turn and push Grace behind the kitchen island when a flying monkey burst into the room. For a brief moment, Jefferson and the monkey simply stared at each other, but then they both moved at once. Jefferson made a valiant move towards the nearby knife block, but before he could get a firm grip on one of the knives, the monkey had managed to grab him, effortlessly lifting him off the ground as it took flight again.
"Papa!" Grace cried in alarm, peeking around her hiding place just in time to see the flying monkey carrying Jefferson off. In a blind panic, she scrambled out of the kitchen and ran outside after them, only to see the monkey soaring off into the sky. "PAPA!"
For what seemed like an eternity, Grace could only stare up at the sky, but she finally pulled her eyes away when she heard the sound of a car horn. Looking over, she saw a familiar set of cars approaching. Holding back tears, Grace ran towards the small line of cars. Even though the Mercedes was in the lead, it was the yellow bug which screeched to a halt first. Seconds later, Belle burst out, followed closely by Emma.
"Papa," Grace cried, running right into Belle's arms. "He's gone! The flying monkeys took him."
"We're too late," Emma bemoaned, looking out at the sky, only to see the flying monkey was no longer in sight.
"No," Belle whispered, holding Grace closely, trying to hide the fact that she was shaking herself. "Please, not again."
By now, the others had all exited their vehicles, David, Mary Margret and Henry from the Ford truck and Regina, Robin and Roland from the Mercedes. Neal was the last one to emerge, as it took him a while to maneuver himself out of the backseat of Emma's bug.
"So….Zelena has everything she needs to cast her spell?" Robin asked in trepidation.
"Grace," Emma consoled, crouching down to address the distraught girl. "It's okay. We'll get Jefferson back."
"I sure hope you have a plan in mind," Regina commented. "I was giving it my all back at the diner, and she still managed to overpower me."
"We'll think of something," David insisted. "We always find a way."
"Well, whatever idea you might have, I'd love to hear one."
"Dad?" Henry chimed in. "There's….something glowing in your pocket." Henry's observation caught everyone's attention. Sure enough, there was something emanating light from within Neal's pocket. When Neal took the object out, they saw it was a small crystal ball.
"What is that?" Emma asked.
"It was my dad's," Neal explained. "I…I found it at his castle, when I wound up back in the Enchanted Forest after Tamara shot me. It's what helped me find out you were in Neverland. I don't really know why, but I just…started carrying it with me ever since." Without warning, Neal let out a quick yelp of pain and dropped the ball. "Aaah! It's hot!"
Right before the ball hit the ground, it suddenly froze in midair, hovering a few inches above the pavement. Before everyone's eyes, the image of a woman in a silvery blue dress materialized above the crystal ball.
"At last," the woman said. "I've finally managed to make contact with you."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Glinda. I'm one of the witches of Oz."
"You're from Oz? Does that mean you know about Zelena?" Belle questioned.
"Yes, I know her," Glinda confirmed. "We were friends long ago, when things were different. But she made her choice. She gave into her dark magic. I tried to stop her, but I failed, and was banished to a pocket dimension. That's why I hadn't been able to contact you before now. Sending you this message across realms is extraordinarily difficult, and my power isn't strong enough for that. The only reason I can do so now is because my sisters, Locasta and Kalinya, are aiding me. It's taking the full strength of our power to break through the barriers of my dimensional prison. But even with our combined strength, we wouldn't have been able to reach you if you didn't have that crystal ball."
"Why, is there something special about it?" Neal asked. "My father just used it to spy on people."
"That's because the Dark One was never unable to unlock the full potential of the ball," Glinda stated. "The crystal ball was forged here in Oz, so only one who was in tune with the flow of magic in the ball's native land could properly wield it."
"How do you know my father was…?"
"I may be trapped in a separate dimension, but I still remain aware of what's been happening in other realms. And I've heard many tales from your land. Including tales of your bravery." The final part of her statement had been directed at David and Mary Margret.
"Is there a way you can come through properly?" David asked. "You said you knew Zelena. Perhaps, with your help, we can…"
"I'm afraid my magic is not strong enough to defeat her," Glinda interrupted. "It never has been."
"Then how do we stop her? You have to help us. The soul of our unborn child is at stake. Not to mention the life of our friend. And Regina's heart."
"There is a way," Glinda confirmed. "Zelena was born with great power. Long ago, I gave her a pendant to help focus it. Her magic has resided inside of it ever since.
"So, if we can remove it, she'll lose her power and we can defeat her?"
"Indeed. But only a purveyor of the strongest light magic will be able to accomplish such a feat."
"Light magic," Mary Margret mused aloud. "Emma, it's you! You're the Product of True Love! The Savior!" Emma's face blanched in shock, but before she could respond, Neal cut in.
"Hang on, isn't there another way? I mean, does Emma really have to resort to using magic?"
"If she is as pure and powerful as they say she is," Glinda replied, "then yes. She, and only she, can defeat Zelena."
Emma was suddenly aware of everyone's expectant gazes directed at her. Instantly, she felt her skin start to prickle, along with a district buzzing in her ears. Before she was consciously aware of it, she was running towards her car and driving away, turning a blind ear to the voices calling after her.
By the time Emma's mind caught up to her, she was halfway down the hospital corridor. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew which way to go. It was as if her feet instinctively knew where she was headed. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway, she found the last door on the right standing open, allowing her to walk right in. Hook was lying on the solitary bed, with various wires connecting him to IV poles and heart monitors. But if it weren't for the thick bandages affixed to his face and arms, it would have looked as if he were simply asleep.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Emma stepped into the room and dropped down into the seat that had been arranged next to Hook's bedside. After a momentary pause, she began to speak.
"I really don't know what I'm doing here," she admitted. "And, perhaps I probably shouldn't have come here. I know it's not fair of me to turn to you, considering how I've been acting around you these past few days, but….I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Or anyone else." After taking a few deep breaths, Emma proceeded to spout out everything that had happened that day, from Zelena managing to collect the missing ingredients for her time travel spell to what Glinda revealed.
"I know I shouldn't be surprised," Emma went on. "I suppose I've always known it was going to be me, deep down. But it's different hearing it stated out loud. And I don't know if I can. Yes, I'm the Savior, but… what exactly have I done to warrant that title? I wasn't the one who got Henry's heart back in Neverland. That was Regina. And Gold was the one who defeated Pan once and for all, stopping him from recasting the Dark Curse in the process. That wasn't me. The only thing I've done was wake up Henry after he ate the turnover that was meant for me. And, yeah, I also fought a dragon, but I didn't know what I was doing. Most of that was all chance. And now, everyone's expecting me to defeat Zelena. But how am I supposed to do that? I barely even started with my magic lessons. I don't know how to control my magic yet. So how am I supposed to overpower Zelena, when she was practicing magic before I was even born?"
Letting out another deep sigh, Emma wiped away a few tears of frustration. It was only then that she realized she hadn't looked up from her lap as she unloaded her mental burden. Glancing over, however, she saw that Hook's eyes had remained closed. Shaking her head and wondering why she even bothered trying to talk to someone who wasn't even conscious, Emma pushed herself out of the chair and started to walk out.
"….ma." Upon hearing the low voice, Emma stopped in her tracks. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Hook lying in bed, still clearly asleep. But his fingers were slightly twitching.
"Emma," he muttered. "You can do this. You can do it, love."
"Hook?" Emma whispered, barely able to even blink. "Can…. Did you actually hear me? Or are you just talking in your sleep while dreaming of something completely unrelated?" Hook didn't reply to her question, but Emma realized she hadn't expected him to. Either way, she was surprised to find that her mind felt a bit lighter, as if a weight had been taken away.
"Mom?" Upon hearing Henry's voice, Emma turned down the hall to see him making his way over towards her.
"Henry," Emma sighed, meeting him halfway and pulling the boy into a tight hug.
"Are you okay?" Henry asked.
"Yeah," Emma said after a brief pause. "Yeah, I'm okay, Henry. Sorry if I worried you. Where's everyone else?"
"They're coming now," Henry explained.
"Good," Emma stated. "Because…it's going to take all of us to defeat Zelena. Let's go."
AN:Well, we've made it to the final chapter before the big battle. Is everyone okay with the ingredients Zelena ended up utilizing. I figured Jefferson's brain would be a good backup for Rumple's, seeing as how he was the one who'd traveled to more lands than any other character. Plus, there's that whole bit about being the Mad Hatter.
The names I gave to the Witches of the North and East was taken from The Hidden History of Oz, Book One. I figured I'd have to go with the names they used in that book, as they were never given names in the show. At least, not to my knowledge.